The Mind of a Goddess
by Monado Boy
Summary: An amnesiac goddess has fallen to Hyrule and ends up in the care of a certain green-clad hero. Ganon's seal is weakening and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Can Link save the kingdom again while handicapped with an extra girl to protect, or will the King of Evil return and claim more power than ever before? *RE-REBOOTED* 9/03/2014
1. Chapter 1

**I. Am. Alive. Alive and well. It just so happens that I'm alive, well, and very lazy when it comes to writing projects. So! I'm rebooting my old fanfics to build up the motivation for some of my other works-in-progress. Completely rewriting them. I hope some of my old fanfiction buddies haven't given up on me and will find the time to at least give my new-and-improved stories a quick skim-through.**

**Random fact of the day: Bruce Lee invented his own style of martial art.**

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><p>"Oftentimes, it comes to my attention," Rauru started, "that the laws of magic are always changing, and therefore cannot be so easily defined, taking for example…"<p>

I groaned, loudly enough to complain but softly enough that the old man wouldn't stop his lecture. It had been a year since Ganondorf was sealed away, a year since Zelda had almost made me a kid again. Rauru had insisted on teaching Zelda and me more about Hylian mythology and magic, in the instance that the sages' seal broke and we had to battle Ganon again.

My mind wandering from the sage's lesson, I removed my left glove. The Triforce mark on my hand still prominent, it also itched whenever I was in the Sacred Realm. It might be because of the holiness of the place, or because Ganon was somewhere deeper in this world, locked away. Either way, it was an itch, so I scratched it.

Hearing the word "Triforce", I snapped to attention. "What?" I asked.

The Sage of Light sighed. "Link, you could use proper grammar. I was just saying, the Triforce is an example of a magical tool capable of breaking the three basic laws of magic."

Seeing my confused expression, he sighed again. "I know you don't pay attention, Link, but this is important! I can't teach you offensive spells if you don't know how they work."

"I can cast Din's Fire just fine," I pointed out.

"No, you can't," Rauru replied. "That gemstone you use is an embodiment of the spell, which anyone with a hint of magical ability can unleash. The same goes for the other two crystals: you're not casting them yourself, but rather finishing off a spell someone else started. Now, on to the three laws of magic.

"One, the caster must have the magical reserve necessary to cast the spell. High-level spells like Din's Fire use incredible amounts of energy without that gem. Two, the caster must have the strong desire to cast the spell. And three, while not an actual 'must', per se, ignoring this rule results in the spell going haywire: one must perform the correct form to cast the spell. The Triforce, I was saying, breaks two of these. Tell me what they are."

"What?" I had just begun dozing off. "Oh, right. Uh… You don't need inherent magic in yourself, and all you have to do is touch it. But you still have to know what you want. So… one and three?" I guessed, wincing in case I was wrong.

To my relief, Rauru smiled. "See? It's not that hard. Now, back to the lesson."

So my day came and went, lecture after lecture with no actual hands-on experience with spells. I learned best just by doing things, like whipping out that fairy bow in the Forest Temple and becoming a decent marksman in hours.

Finally being released from the sage's company, I collapsed exhausted in Dampé the Gravedigger's old hut. It was in his will that it be given to me, though he didn't actually write the will until I met his ghost and beat that stupid race. He was secretly a great wizard, he says, and still hangs around the graveyard from time to time. I learned more about magic in a week from that batty old spirit than I did in two months of Rauru's intense training.

"Link, wake up! I have something new to show you!"

"Speak of the devil…" I muttered, crawling right back out of the sheets. "Dampé, I'm pooped. Can we talk in the morning?"

"Sure, if you're fine with the hut burning down."

"What?!" I jumped up, already smelling smoke. "What did you do?"

"It's not what I did, it's what the cuckoo knocked over outside while I was trying to possess it. If push comes to shove, it's really the bird's fault."

Throwing my tunic on and shoving my feet into my boots, I ran outside and played the Song of Storms. Clouds forming, temperature dropping and air pressure changing, I started picking up dirt and tossing it at the flames licking the side of the shed. Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting, the rain grew strong enough to put the fire out.

"Perfect," Dampé started, hovering behind me. "And now that you're awake…"

"I knew it," I interjected.

"Yeah, yeah, I just needed you awake. Come with me," he floated toward the royal family's grave, "I found something you might wanna see."

I slinked over to the far end of the graveyard, water dripping from my clothes and sloshing in my boots. This had not been my day, and Dampé choosing this time for target practice was not my ideal situation, regardless of how much I normally enjoyed it. Sometime tomorrow maybe, but casting spells when one has to force his eyes open is not a good idea.

Regardless of what I wanted, what Dampé says, goes. He would just bother me all night if I hadn't agreed from the start, and working with him was usually worth the stress. Anyway, the wizard's specter stopped directly above the royal tombstone I had previously destroyed, and when I arrived there he turned to face me.

"Link, tonight something terrible happened. Are you aware of how Princess Zelda's Triforce shard has been waning in power over recent months?"

The area dropped ten degrees lower than the rain had caused, and tension between us grew to huge proportions. "She mentioned it in passing, but played it out to be less serious than her words implied. Was I wrong for falling for it?"

"No," Dampé replied. "Even I didn't sense the seriousness of the situation until just now. My power has only grown stronger with death, and even my safeguards and surveillance familiars failed to catch the shadows going on behind the scenes. Something divine has fallen from grace, and is now in danger of being captured by evil. We must rescue the holy being and find a way to restore its power, before wind of this reaches Ganon, and he uses it to his advantage."

The gravedigger had this strange way of speaking formally in serious matters, and it was an excellent way of grabbing my attention. Somehow, I picked it up in my writing skills; granted, he taught me to write properly. Dampé's tone gave me a sense of just how grave matters were.

"I'm not getting you, Dampé," I said. "How could a god just fall to Hyrule?"

"I didn't say it was a god," he answered me. "Even a guardian spirit's departure could spark tension and even chaos throughout the land."

"But how does the Triforce of Wisdom's weakness fit into it? Does a simple spirit have that much influence on the world of magic?"

Dampé hesitated. "No, one being couldn't cause this, unless it was incredibly powerful. We must be careful. Even if we were not already worrying about Ganon's seal falling apart, one must keep in mind that the Triforce is the very foundation of Hyrule. Losing it would be devastating. Our world will crumble."

Oftentimes Dampé's knowledge would cross the border between "odd" and "impossible", and recently I had been gaining the courage to challenge him. "Dampé… how do you know so much about this? I've never heard anything about the Triforce holding us together."

The wizard sighed. "I've seen it before, in another realm. It was truly a tragic situation, but that is as much as I will say on the matter. It has no consequence on Hyrule. Link, the forces of darkness are gathering in Hyrule Field even as we speak. I recommend making your way over there as quickly as possible. Use the finding spell we worked on to search for strong instances of holy power. Now suit up and GO!"

I turned, took two steps to build up speed, slipped in mud, hit my head on a gravestone and blacked out.

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><p>I woke up on Dampé's bedspread, his face two inches from my own. Shouting in alarm, I sat straight up. Normally this would have caused the simple cliché of us cracking our skulls together, but with Dampé not having any substance to his appearance, I instead passed right through him, getting a lovely view of his throat and stomach.<p>

Standing up and shaking the fogginess out of my throbbing head, I began straightening out my clothes. "How long was I out?"

The wizard grinned. "Six hours. In that time, I discovered that the divine being you're going out looking for is definitely in the form of a Hylian somewhere in Hyrule Field. Somehow, no evil creature can get within 50 feet of it without dying instantaneously. Approach cautiously, but it should be fine, so long as you don't think of anything… naughty."

Feeling my ears go red, I brushed him off. "I remain honorable!"

"I know," Dampé chuckled. "Hurry up! We don't know when the situation will take a turn for the worse!"

Kicking off again, I noticed the sun rising over the Shadow Temple. I stormed through Kakariko Village, grabbing a cuckoo and jumping off the windmill hut's ledge to gain speed. Skipping two stairs at a time, I reached the town's entrance and called Epona on my ocarina. As she arrived, I jumped on her in one bound, lightly kicking her flanks and taking off. Something felt a bit off about my gear, but I figured it was just the last bits of sleep shaking off of my mind.

I muttered the finding incantation Dampé taught me, feeling my senses heighten. My sight blurred and dimmed, but I trust Epona to keep me going, or at least avoid obvious crashes. While my vision was nearly completely gone, I began feeling an innate pull from the left, and adjusted my course until I was heading straight for it.

As the pull grew stronger and I covered more distance, I angled my horse to match. Sensing myself closing in on the divine power I was searching for, I let the spell drop. I was surrounded by Poes.

Reaching for my sword, I realized what was missing: my sword. Swearing under my breath, I thought of how I would have remembered to bring it if I was allowed to keep the Master Sword. I smiled and waved at the Poes, hoping they weren't feeling too aggressive.

They were. Ducking as the first lantern swung over my head, Epona took the cue and bolted, not even waiting for me to grab the reins. Losing my balance, I grabbed the pommel horn, silently thanking Malon for her insistence on attaching one to my saddle. Struggling to regain control of my steed, I did just what any idiot would do: mix up my priorities and start firing arrows at the ghosts.

Finally, Epona reared up and I fell flat on my back. As she galloped off, I decided my best chance was to keep moving as I fought. I had barely taken five steps when the Poes stopped dead in their tracks. Something was preventing them from coming closer.

Never taking my eyes off the monsters, I paused to take a breath. While they were no longer chasing me, they certainly retained their violence, and finally one lost its temper and flew toward me. In a flash of blue light that surprised even me, it vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

_Dampé did mention monsters die when they get too close to the… god!_ I jumped up and started looking around. Sure enough, there was a figure lying in the grass several yards away. I approached cautiously, not taking any chances that it might turn on me.

A girl. It was a girl. Distinctly a girl, as a matter of fact. It was easy to tell. She was naked. She couldn't have been older than I was, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. I was stunned by her beauty, until I realized what I was doing and turned around.

I tried thinking of what to do, but my mind was still really fuzzy, and all I could think of was the way her – no, I stopped there. Calling Epona again, I took a blanket out of the saddlebag and backed toward the girl, covering her as I went, forcing myself to look nearly straight up. When I finished, I worked up the courage to take a look at her face.

Her skin was flawless, and she looked relaxed as she slept. No, what I meant was, she didn't show any signs of injury. The only odd thing was… she had blue hair. It didn't look like some of the dye that I sometimes saw foreign nobles use; this was a vivid, sky-blue, perfectly straight and flowing all the way down to her waist. Looking at her stirred something within me, but I didn't understand it at the time.

After watching her for slightly too long to deem appropriate, I carefully picked her up, wrapping her multiple times in the blanket, and set her in front of me on Epona's saddle. Wrapping my arms around her waist, careful so as not to touch any sensitive parts, we took off at a trot back to Dampé.

She stirred in my arms, and I locked up. "Miss?" I asked tentatively, already wincing at the legal issues this would cause. "I know this looks really, _really_ bad on my part, but I swear as a knight of Hyrule that my intentions were honorable. I was just taking you to a safe place to rest, since I found you out here in the wild."

She didn't open her eyes. As I was about to say something to see if she was actually awake, she spoke. "Are you taking me to a brothel?" she asked, calmly as if she was asking about the weather.

I was stunned. "Of course not, miss! I would never-!"

"Then it is fine," she cut me off. "May I rest now? I am incredibly tired…"

She laid her head against my chest, falling asleep before I could protest. I honestly wondered if she was testing my resolve on purpose, but I did my best to ignore any rising temptations. I spurred Epona on, eager to reach Dampé and end this torture.

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><p>It was still a longer return trip than it was to find the girl, because I couldn't make a full gallop, not to mention I had no idea where I was due to sensing my way to my target rather than using my eyes. Reaching the village, I realized another problem: the hero of Hyrule would not be able to carry a half-naked, sleeping maiden across town without arousing suspicion. I praised the gods that my fears were unfounded, as Dampé was waiting under the entrance to the town.<p>

"Link, praise the gods, you've done it! Hurry, I'll cloak the two of you so that we can bring her to my shack." Turning invisible at the dead wizard's command, I carefully removed to girl from the saddle and sent Epona back to the ranch. Carrying the blue-haired maiden through the town, I started getting those thoughts about her again. I pushed them aside as they came, and was again relieved when I ducked under the rickety gateway to the graveyard.

"That needs fixed as well, Link. You promised to keep the place up!"

Ignoring Dampé, I pushed the broken door open and set the girl down I my bedspread, finally relieved of my beautiful burden. She woke up again, sleepily grinning at me. "Hello, sir knight. Where am I?"

"Uh, well, you're at my, uh…"

Dampé nudged me. If my mind was working properly, I would have wondered how. "Shack! This shack is mine. It is my shack. That I stay at. It's where we are right now."

She giggled, a light, resonating sound. "Well, so long as I am safe, as you said. May I sleep now?"

"Ask her name," Dampé whispered.

"May I have your name first, milady?" I obeyed.

Her brow furrowed for a moment, but then the serene expression returned, as she matter-of-factly replied: "I don't know." And then her eyes closed as she crashed yet again.

"She doesn't know?" I whispered heatedly to the ghost hovering over my shoulder.

"Well, what she doesn't know, she doesn't know."

"What's that mean for us?"

"It means, my dear pupil, one simple thing: Fate really screwed us over."

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Completely rewritten, with just the same simple mental outline I had the last fic with. For any interested in reading the original, dropped project… No. It was atrocious. I tried reading the prologue and had to conclude I was drunk when writing it. I shall attempt to update weekly! Just not… the same day… a week. ^_^"<strong>

**Signing off,**

**~F4R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay. So I don't think an alert went out that I updated the last chapter. My friend told me he didn't get an email. Let's see how this one works.**

**Random fact of the day: even when a command is posed as a question, such as, "will you please…" it should still end in a period rather than a question mark.**

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><p>"Dampé, this is serious!"<p>

"I know, that's why I'm leaving it in your capable hands," the ghost cackled, floating away and vanishing. I would have called for him, but I knew from experience that he was already a long way out of earshot. Instead, I turned to the beautiful young lady in my (Dampé's) cot. She had been asleep for eighteen hours straight, and I was worried enough to begin checking her breathing every few minutes.

Drawn once again to her stunningly blue hair, I reached my hand out to feel it, catching myself before I became a total pervert. Instead, I distracted myself by wondering where it could have come from. I occasionally saw noblemen in Castle Town who had ruffled, blue hair, but theirs might as well have been solid black when compared to this creature. _No, wait,_ I thought to myself, _she's divine, not a creature. Or is it even a "she"? Dear Nayru, this is screwing with my head._

"Don't curse, dear knight," the blue-haired beauty's voice twinkled quietly. I looked and saw her sitting up, the sheets falling away to reveal "Nayru doesn't like it very much. I recommend taking the great Din's name in vain. She could not care less."

I froze. I hadn't said that out loud. Had I? "Miss, if I'm bothering you, say so and I'll leave."

"No, no!" she said quickly. "I don't remember anything, and I do not wish to be left alone. Please?" she implored.

That explained quite a lot, actually. "Do you honestly have no memories? Because… bad," I simplified a bit to avoid causing her distress, "bad, things are happening, and anything you might know will be a great help to us."

She shook her head dejectedly, causing her hair to free itself from its place bunched around her shoulders. I was momentarily distracted again, watching it fall clear to her hips. I snapped to attention as she spoke again.

"No, I'm really sorry," her voice cracked, as if she were about to cry. "I don't even remember my own name. I'm frightened. I can feel evil everywhere, but I don't even know why it wants me." She stretched her hand out to mine in my lap, and I unconsciously grabbed it with my right hand.

I considered for a moment as to what I should do. There was Hyrule Castle, with the Hylian Guard at the ready. _No, even a Triforce-less Ganondorf crushed them in a matter of hours._ Then I thought of the Water Temple. _No, Ganondorf can just revive Morpha. _My childhood home coming to mind, I nearly chose to hide her with the Deku Tree sprout before I decided not to put the last remaining hope of the forest children in even more danger. By process of elimination, I decided to bring her to the Six Sages and get their opinions.

"Miss, are you well?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Then we're off to see my friends. I'm Link, by the way."

She smiled and held out her hand. Clueless, I alternated looking at it and her. It was common knowledge that I was a bit socially impaired, but looking back, I still have no idea what kept me from taking her hand. It wasn't because she had held out her left hand instead of the right; plenty of Hylians did that. It was supposedly an old way to identify other Hylians during the great wars. No, there was something that reminded me of the battle instinct I developed during the Freedom War that told me not to let her touch my own left hand.

"Are you not going to take my hand?" she inquired. I shook my head, the silent nature I took on around strangers coming back into play. She sighed and lowered her arm. "Then at least tell me where we are going. Or rather, you could start with where exactly I am."

"Wait," I stopped short as she was climbing out of bed. Dampé had been kind enough to change her from the ridiculously elaborate dress she had been wearing when we found her to a much more common, brown dress, but she was still stunning in my eyes. "Do you honestly not even know where we are?"

"Have you forgotten that I honestly do not even know my own name?" she retorted, obviously a bit offended.

"Sorry. Well, pull up a chair, because I have to explain where we are and… where we're going."

"You hesitated," she noted. "You were about to mention what evils I'm in danger of, thought better of it, decided it would scare me, and skipped over it. Sir Link, I have the right to know."

I was initially surprised at how well she'd read me, but I was used to surprise. "Just Link is fine. Well, to begin with, the land you're in is named Hyrule. Our sovereign is a princess named Zelda, and her coronation is in a few weeks. She's one of my personal friends," I paused, expecting her to become excited, or at least show some surprised like most of the people I met, but the calm expression she had worn for the last day remained firmly on her face. "And for good reason. With the direct help of less than ten people in all, I freed this land from an evil king. People have started calling it the Freedom War, or the War for the Triforce."

"Wait," she stopped me. "Did you say… the Triforce?"

Hoping I had triggered a memory in the goddess's mind, I slowly nodded. "Have you heard of it?"

Finally, a new look, one of consternation, graced her features. "I… I have heard of it. But the name is all I know. I'm sorry, Link. Please continue."

Eyebrows raised, I started explaining from the beginning. I began with how I woke up with a fairy shouting in my ear, all the way to Zelda giving me the Ocarina of Time. I was careful to throw words such as "magic" and other relations to divinity into my story more than necessary, but not even the Master Sword seemed to pique her interest.

Ganon, however, was a major interest to her. Every time I mentioned him, she would ask for more details, be it how I felt his magic course through my body when I challenged him as a child, or the way his skin was a deep, sickly green from the pure evil corrupting him, and especially during my battle with his transformed, demonic self. She remained silent only when she saw the look of terror on my face as I recounted feeling the blood flowing down my face, the way my entire body flew dozens of feet when my agility failed me and the beast got a lucky hit.

She scowled a little when I mentioned Zelda's screams, distracting me while my battle skills failed me and how I had to resort to just trying to survive. Finally, I said something that made her smile, and while I have no idea how I did it, I was certainly glad I did. "Finally, I was on my last legs. It was hit or miss, my magic was nearly depleted, that Master Sword was out of reach… I cast Nayru's Love to grant me a few more seconds of safety.

"During that brief period of time before I knew I would lose… I saw something in that blue shield. I saw all the people I had fought for, all the enemies I had defeated, and how even though I had had this destiny thrown on my shoulders so unfairly, I fought anyway. It made me think about what I was fighting for. It took less than ten seconds of Ganon wailing on me to break the barrier, but it was more than enough to motivate me to keep fighting. Eventually, Ganon slipped up and dropped the flames, and I grabbed the Blade of Evil's Bane and stabbed him in the head. He didn't die; the Triforce protected him even from death, but the Sages were successful in sealing him away in the depths of the Sacred Realm. Zelda insisted I return to before I drew the Master Sword as a kid and prevent all this, but I refused."

The girl just sat there. I prided myself on the thought that I had finally stunned her into losing her composure, but in retrospect, she probably just thought I had more to say. When she finally spoke, it was nowhere near what I was expecting.

"Link, why didn't you take back your childhood? Answer quickly, before you think too hard about it."

"Well, I suppose I thought it would be meaningless."

"Meaningless?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I fought for months, desperately, and with hardly a night's respite every two or three days. I saved so many people, made so many friends. And the ones I couldn't save…"

"You didn't want to go back in time and prevent those 'friends' from dying?"

"I wanted to. I really, _really_ wanted to," I replied. "But I couldn't. It wouldn't be fair. To make all their deaths, all the help they gave me, all the courage they had shown become completely worthless would be a horrible thing to do."

"I think that was a very foolish decision."

My blood froze in my veins. I had thought this decision through thousands of times in my head, without a single day going by where I didn't regret and approve of my choice, and this girl, this stranger, divine or not, had written off what I did as stupid. "Why?"

"Because your decision is based on feelings. It is quite a simple fact that things would be better if none of it had happened. If Ganondorf never touched the Triforce, you would never have gotten the Triforce of Courage, nobody would have had to die, and you would have gotten the normal, everyday life that was stolen from you."

"Even Kaepora Gaebora said I had fully matured as an adult. Going back to being a child would be agony."

"Where is your proof that you would retain your 'adult' mindset?"

"Where is your proof that I would become a kid in spirit again?"

"Well, I…" finally, she stuttered.

"Are you implying that taking one risk is better than taking the risk I chose: to remain in the future and keep everyone's memories alive?"

"If you had given Princess Zelda the ocarina, everyone would BE alive."

I gave in. "Can we stop arguing? This is getting us nowhere. I made what I believe is the right choice."

"Link, I promise you. Nothing will come of your choice that would not be better if you had gone back to the past."

I sighed, ignoring her. One day, unknown to either of us, she would eat those words, but at the moment, I was just happy to stop the friction. "Fine. I'll ask Anju if she has some boots you can borrow, and we'll leave for the Temple of Time."

"Link…" she called me as I began to leave. "I don't like the way you address me. You continue to call me 'miss', or 'milady'. I wish to address this issue regarding titles."

"You sure speak formally for a girl who doesn't remember anything."

"Just help me choose what to call myself," she expertly dodged my blow. "I cannot decide. So will you please pick me a suitable name? And please do not make it weird, or silly."

I grinned. She was acting nervous, and I enjoyed seeing that tiny grin again. "I… have no idea. I didn't even name my pet Volvagia, but considering I also killed my pet Volvagia, maybe that was for the best. I think…" I considered her demeanor, cracking a smile as it came to me. It was obvious, really; it matched her perfectly, and I had only known her for a day, three-fourths of which she spent sleeping. "Your name should be Serenity."

She smiled, and then tried to pretend she hadn't. Her efforts caused her to blush, and I saw it all. "I like that name." Then, taking my (right) hand, we made our way to town.

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><p><strong>Yay! Chapter two complete! And even on track with my current schedule for myself! I feel like the topic was jumping around left and right with this, though. I'm gonna reread it someday and realize how bad it is.<strong>

**~F4R**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've published two chapters, and there's already inconsistencies between the old story and the reboot. I guess my work's cut out for me…**

**Random fact of the day: Bill Gates wrote a consoling letter to his biggest competitor and technological rival, the dying Steve Jobs, who kept it by his beside. If that doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what will.**

**UNDERSCORE**

"Anju!"

"Link!" the redheaded girl called. As she turned away from her cuckoo pen, her bobbed hair swung around her head, earning a scowl of annoyance from its owner. Pushing it back into place, she smiled at her friend. "How are you feeling? I haven't seen you in a few days, so I was getting worr-" she stopped abruptly, noticing me shyly half-hiding behind him.

"Link, who is this peppy girl?" I whispered.

"Link, who's your friend, and really? 'Peppy'?" she asked.

"Who, her?" Link replied, gesturing toward me, which seemed quite difficult with my clutching his arm. "Oh, uh… heheh! Nobody, really. Just a friend who needed a place to stay. She needs some riding clothes so we can travel together. It'd be great if you could loan some to her. Could you loan her some? Riding clothes, I mean," Link rambled, obviously realizing the impression he was giving.

Anju's eyes shined brighter as Link's face got redder, eventually getting to the point that he could tell she was in her own little world imagining who-knows-what. He shut up before he gave her an even worse idea to spread around town as gossip. Instead he just waited for her reply. It wasn't what he expected to hear.

"Malon's gonna be _so_ jealous!" Anju squealed, startling some cuckoos into flying away from the coop. "I mean, you and she are always totally hanging out together! There's a pool going around for people to guess when you pop the question!"

_Oh, dear,_ I thought to myself. _Is this another female companion he forgot to mention?_ Then I questioned why I even cared, and did not dare to answer myself.

"Wait, what?" That seemed to be news to my companion. "Malon is just my friend! Why would I want to be with her like that?"

Anju just stared at him, folding her arms and waiting for the light bulb to click.

"Oh, Din…" he muttered, the implication dawning on him. "Does Malon… like me that way?"

"Whoa…" Link's friend replied, her expression one of total shock. "You must have been the only one who didn't know. Anyway!" Anju exclaimed suddenly, startling Link and making me tighten my grip on his arm. "You said this girl needed a riding outfit? No problem! Come on in, girl, and let's see what your style is!"

I debated going with this hyper girl for a moment before relaxing, letting be led into her Anju's house. The last image I had of Link before closing the door was his grin, his hand lifted in a half-hearted, two-finger wave.

"Okay, girl," Anju said, turning to me as she opened a wardrobe in the corner. "Spill it."

* * *

><p>As I walked off to kill time, I heard a yelp of surprise from Anju's place and high-tailed it to the other side of Kakariko before my imagination got the better of me. I hoped that Anju wasn't working the poor girl around too much. She had been through a lot, I assumed; enough to shut down her own mind.<p>

There was no sense in worrying about Serenity, I decided. Anju was a good friend of mine, and she wouldn't do anything untoward to someone I entrusted to her. Instead of stressing out, I played with some cuckoos, tossing them down the well and watching them struggle until they managed to fly back to safety. I did that for a few hours until I got bored, then realized what time it was and rushed back to check on the girls.

Anju was just leaving the house. I thanked the gods that girls had an even worse habit of losing track of time when it came to clothes than I did when it came to chickens. Anju turned to look at me, grinning. She pulled Serenity's hand, and the blue-haired girl stepped out the door and into my line of sight.

They were simple clothes by all means, but she was stunning nonetheless. She had on a simple tunic, shaped similarly to mine only tan and with a small collar and wide leather belt, a pair of skin-tight leggings and brown boots. Her face was slightly red, noticeable no matter how she tried to hide it, and I grinned.

"You look nice, Serenity," I complimented her. Seeing her demure smile made my day that much less boring, and I smiled wider. "Thanks for the clothes, Anju. How much do I owe you?"

She smirked. "The chat we had was entertaining enough, so I'll let you go, no charge," she winked at me, handing me a decently-sized satchel. "Here's a change of clothes for later. It's just a dress and shoes, so don't you dare pay me!"

I thanked her and turned back to the goddess, godling, demigod, spirit, or whatever Serenity was. "Well, this is all we need, girl. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Link," she replied, stepping forward to take my arm. Without thinking, I reached out to meet her with my left arm. This time, I got that bad feeling about it just a split second too late.

When I took her hand in mine, the Triforce mark on the back of my hand suddenly flashed, then took on a steady glow. Serenity gasped and I snapped my arm away from her, but the glow continued rising in intensity. I began feeling faint, the same as when I had visions. My eyesight began fading, and I felt a strange warmth envelop me as I lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Princess Zelda stood in her tower, the Triforce marking on the back of her left hand flickering. Under normal circumstances – no, scratch that: nothing about the Triforce was "normal", or even consistent. But the Hylian princess had an instinctual notion that her hand should be glowing more brightly than it was.<p>

Zelda looked into the sky from her bedroom window, the look on her face grimmer than ever before, including the times Ganon managed to land hits on Link in the final battle. She sensed the worst possible situation had arrived, and doubted Link's ability to tell. Her handmaiden, Impa, stared at her from the shadows, understanding the seriousness of her mistress was a mask for true terror.

"There is nothing wrong with confiding in me, princess," Impa stated. "I don't know what's got you so riled up, but it can't be as bad as you imagine. So there is no reason to stress, do you understand?"

Zelda muttered something in reply, but Impa was unable to catch it clearly, aside from the word "imagine". Asked to repeat herself, Zelda shouted, "I _can't_ imagine it! Impa, this is awful! I do not understand how this could even be happening!"

"Zelda."

The princess froze, gripping her windowsill. Her attendant only dared drop honorifics when there was a matter of life and death to be discussed. Zelda didn't reply, opting to wait for Impa to continue.

"Things are different from seven years ago. You have Link, and the Seven Sages. Does Rauru know what is causing you stress?"

Zelda shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't been going to his lectures. They're boring, and I thought they were unnecessary. But now…" she folding her arms, gripping their sides, "I'm more scared than I have ever been before."

Impa chuckled. "You know, Link has been attending Rauru's lessons diligently for months. He doesn't pay attention, but if Mister Laziness Incarnate can do it, you can spare a few hours a week. As for what you are so afraid of… It's Ganon, isn't it?"

"He's awakened. This is what I feared so dearly, what I begged Link to go back in time to prevent. He is stronger, and my power is weakening. I don't know why."

* * *

><p>"Link, wake up!"<p>

I felt a rustle, and opened my eyes. Serenity was looking down on me, and I realized I was using her lap as a pillow. I sat up quickly and saw we were on Anju's floor, but felt lightheaded again and had to lie back down before I passed out again. Looking up at her, I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, do you mind if I rest for a few minutes?"

She looked down and her hair fell forward, tickling my face. "No problem, good knight," she said teasingly. "Visions deal quite a lot of psychological damage to the viewer, I hear."

I struggled to remember what "psychological" meant. Rauru had used the word quite a lot in his talks about magic, but working my brain even for this little memory was killing my head. Actually, I think the headaches I was having _were_ psychological damage, but I didn't have time to figure it out. My hand was glowing again, and I fainted.

* * *

><p>This time, there was darkness. Opening and closing my eyes had no effect whatsoever on my visual ability. I began feeling around, and realized I was floating suspended in the air. Resigned to wait until the Triforce showed me whatever it wanted to show me, I hung there upright. What happened next blew my mind.<p>

A giant, glowing, golden head appeared in the shadows. Being the only source of light, it was hard to look at directly at first. It spoke. "Dark! I command you to come to your lord!"

On demand, another shadow appeared, this one humanoid standing on some invisible floor before the monstrous spirit. It knelt on its right knee, a mirror-imaged mockery of the Hylian knights' pose. "My lord, why have you summoned me? You are weak, and the seal on you by the light ones is still strong."

"Do not advise me on what I shall do with my power!" the head snapped. "I have a mission for you. It is one that may finally satisfy you, and one you might actually complete."

I gasped, recognizing the voices. I had only heard shouts in my encounter with him, but the human shadow's voice was easy enough to guess. It was, after all, my own voice. Dark Link stood before me, and the spirit he was addressing could only be a distorted form of Ganondorf, corrupted by the Master Sword's wounds and the Triforce of Power.

He spoke again. "You are a pathetic creation, a simple test of the Triforce's power. Yet I grew to trust you as a worthy assassin, only to have you fail me in the pivotal test of killing your own original. But I grant you one last chance. For one period of thirty days, I shall be recovering the power I had in life. During that time, I grant you a gift."

As Ganon's spirit spoke, a golden light began enveloping the shadow me. I realized what was happening when the light took the shape of three golden triangles, taking the form of a larger triangle. I reached out to stop it, but found I couldn't move. The light grew brighter, but still just reached out into the darkness to reveal more darkness.

My fears were confirmed when the top triangle flashed as the other parts dimmed, and the mark of the Triforce appeared on Dark Link's right hand. Ganon had given my doppelganger the Triforce of Power, to be used outside of the Sacred Realm. My vision began dimming, and I knew my Triforce-given sneak-peek was almost at its limit.

As I fought to stay asleep, the last words I heard were, "You have thirty days. Find the divine girl in the hands of he who wields Courage, and my bonds shall be broken. Kill her or bring her to me, I care not which."

* * *

><p>Snapping awake and panting for breath, I stood up quickly, grabbing Serenity's left hand with my right, dragging her quickly through the village. I didn't say a word to Anju, and I knew I would regret it later, but I was in a hurry and knew exactly where I had to go. The one place I knew I was safe no matter the situation, the place I knew like the back of my hand, where I could set up traps and hiding places, and hole up until danger was past.<p>

I was taking my holy charge to Lonlon Ranch.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, my procrastination got the better of me. I wrote some stuff in the meantime, but wrote about 500 words of this chapter three weeks ago and ditched it. So here this is, a bit later than usual.<strong>

**~F4R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Check my bio if I go long periods without updating. Reasons prevent me from access to a computer more than I'd like.**

**Random fact of the day: Gatorade is flammable. Not like, "Oh, I'll pour it on this huge bonfire and watch it flare up", but I have seen skimpy campfires get the boost they need to start burning with a spritz of the drink. Something about electrolytes.**

**Chapter word count: 3,045**

* * *

><p>Pulling Serenity's hand, I quickly strode through Kakariko Village, ignoring not only those good-for-nothing carpenters but even the children I always took the time to play with before leaving. I had no time to waste, based on the combination of my visions and what Dampé had been saying all this time. Serenity was in danger, Ganondorf had just deployed his trump card, the Triforce of Wisdom was weakening, and I didn't even have the Master Sword.<p>

Reaching the entrance to the village with a new mission, I whipped out Saria's ocarina and called my horse. As Epona approached, Serenity's eyes lit up. Evidently, I deduced from past experience with people meeting the mare, she was enraptured with Epona's graceful movement.

With my divine acquaintance fully conscious this time around, it was quite less of a challenge to prepare to ride. Stepping over to Epona's side, I offered my left hand to Serenity before quickly offering the right instead. After hoisting the girl up, I was again surprised at how light she was. It wasn't a surprise that such a petite girl weighed less than the always-working Malon, but she had to be several pounds lighter than even the tiny Zelda. Naturally, as soon as I realized I was pondering a lady's weight, I mentally slapped myself and focused my hasty efforts.

I hopped onto my horse in front of Serenity, a change from when I rescued her, where I was situated behind her so as to hold her steady. I could control myself easily, but in our current position I would probably be too flustered to competently protect her in an emergency, or even make small talk without sounding stupid.

Lightly kicking Epona's flanks, we were off at a gallop. In that same instant, I realized that I had forgotten Serenity would most likely use me for support. Feeling her arms slide around my waist, I resisted the initial urge to lean forward and flip her over my shoulder, as I often had to do in battle. After my battle-instinct was in control, I found my heart rate wouldn't go quite back down to normal. I didn't feel as though I was in danger, and I wasn't too flustered, but the feeling the girl holding me tightly felt… nice.

We traveled like that for a short while, crossing the Zora River and continuing onwards. After a short distance, Serenity shifted. It was much harder than I anticipated it would be to ignore certain parts of her body pressing against mine.

"Link, is this ranch you spoke of the one where you got Epona?" she asked. "And why are we going there? It seems like going straight to the princess, er… Zelda, would be the wisest option."

I grimaced. "I want to go see Zelda, too. But in my experience, waltzing up to Hyrule Castle never ends well, and Lonlon Ranch is closer."

Serenity scoffed again, the same way she did before challenging my reasoning last time. "Sir Knight, you are letting past experience unreasonably cause you to make poorer judgments again."

I grinned slightly, because this time I had her in an argument I could win. "Serenity, are you aware of the current state of Hylian politics?"

She looked at me blankly for a moment, before shaking her head. "I can't say for certain, but on a second reflection, the Hero of Time bringing a strange girl to meet royalty with no explanation whatsoever would cause unnecessary attention, and alert any potential assassins to my presence and location."

I hadn't beaten her, but she hadn't beaten me either. She had just realized my logic in the situation. "For an amnesiac, you're sounding more and more like a studied scholar."

"I know what I know, and don't know what I don't," Serenity retorted, a faint look of indignation of her otherwise calm face. "Please do not tease me."

"Well, here's something you probably don't know," I started, smiling at her little acts of frustration. "Malon of Lonlon Ranch and our friend Princess Zelda are close friends. Nobody would think twice of a visit to the ranch by the princess. So riddle me this: where is an anonymous meeting with the princess more easily prepared: the ranch, or the guarded, politically-centered castle?"

My celestial acquaintance made a small pout of annoyance at the absurdity of my question. "It is obviously the ranch. I ask again that you do not tease me so impudently, especially over matters I do not understand the details to."

Apologizing, I smiled. I had gotten her to show emotion again, albeit an unpleasant one. It was getting easier, and she seemed to be lowering her guard around me more than before. "Milady, it's getting late. I want to get there before dark, when it'll be harder to see approaching enemies."

"Is there an insinuation directed at me in that statement?" she inquired.

"More like a warning," I grinned deviously. I had gone from "frozen in place" to my usual cheery, "let's mess with some people" self. "Lonlon Ranch is still another mile or two away. We're gonna need to… _goreallyfast!"_ I exclaimed suddenly, urging Epona into a full gallop.

Serenity yelped in surprise, wrapping her arms around me and holding on tightly. I had gotten used to the feeling of her riding with me, and continued urging my horse without missing a beat. It was funny, I noted, that I should have to get used to riding with a girl all over again. It certainly wasn't the first time I had done so.

Passing hill, field and lake alike, we made our way to the plateau in the distance. If we kept up our current pace, we would reach our destination well before nightfall. I allowed Epona to slow to a trot.

Occasionally, we would see a Poe or some other monster near the path, but I trusted the magic protecting my spiritual partner to keep them away, and at first I thought it was working. Upon meeting a slightly over-aggressive Stalchild, I learned the actual conditions of Serenity's defense mechanisms.

I heard the bony monster growl, saw the fight in its eyes. I stared at it, bored, waiting for it to charge and be incinerated. Imagine my surprise when it rushed forward, taking a swipe at my arm that drew blood.

The wound wasn't enough to cause actual damage, but it was definitely enough to get me riled. Unsheathing my sword, I muttered, "So much for spirit magic to keep monsters away."

Naturally, being right behind me, Serenity heard my complaint. She folded her arms, and for a split second I missed the sensation of her hugging me from behind as we rode. "My magic was deactivated because I was under the impression I already had quite enough protection," she said haughtily.

"Would'a been nice if I'd been told that before I got hit!" I said, taking care of the Stalchild in a single swipe of my weapon. It had hit my left arm, and the bleeding picked up after I used my sword. "Ow, that smarts."

So Serenity and I traveled all the way to the foot of the ranch's hill in an awkward silence, although no real enmity existed between us. It was just that awkward time after a bout when neither person can leave the other's presence and nothing can be said. I am sure most people have been in that situation.

Taking the initiative as we approached our destination, I addressed Serenity. "Hey, just so you know, the people here are… unique. One of them is loud and lazy, another is rude to everyone, and Malon has been treating me oddly for the last several weeks. She might be mad; she's avoiding me more and more."

Serenity looked at me with a blank expression, leaving me wondering just what gears were turning in her head. I was about to ask, then thought better of it. Instead I snapped her out of her thinking.

"Serenity, are you ready? It will be dark soon, so we really need to get a move on, here."

She nodded, barely acknowledging me, and I set Epona to a slow walk up the pathway. I stopped at the closed gate, taking the key entrusted to me by Talon for emergency use and hopping off my horse. Unlocking and shoving open the gate, I took the reins in hand and entered the ranch.

Even in the spot between the house and the barn, the part of the meadow visible looked stunning in the last light of sunset. I grinned, taking another step forward. Seeing Talon and Ingo through a window of the house, I called out to them. They rushed out as soon as they saw me.

"Link, m'boy!" the farm's owner greeted me, slapping me on the back. "It's been a while! How've ya been holdin' up? Malon'll be pretty happy to see –"

Talon noticed the girl on Epona and stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment, I mistakenly assumed he was just surprised by her beauty as most others had been, but then his face grew red and he turned back to face me. "Link, who's yer pal?" he asked, a slight crestfallen look on his face.

I knew Talon wanted me to marry Malon. Even I wasn't so socially awkward as to mistake his not-so-subtle cues. Of course, I didn't understand the scope of his expectations until that moment, especially when I was under the impression that neither his daughter nor I ever took him seriously.

Deciding the best course of action was to act as if I hadn't noticed Talon's reaction, I replied, "This is Serenity. I'm in charge of protecting her while I sort some things out, and we need a place to stay for a few days. Do you mind if I base us here?"

Talon collected himself from his dumbstruck expression when I started speaking, and nodded his approval. He seemed to understand that Serenity wasn't a girlfriend or some maid I was taking advantage of. "Yeah, stay fer as long as ya want. But Malon hasn't been in the best of moods recently, so be careful about how ya word things to 'er."

I caught on that he was giving me warning about Serenity, but I wasn't sure why. I thought they would be good friends. Despite Talon's apprehension, I quickly forgot his words.

Helping my charge down from her mount, I led her and Epona into the horses' paddock. I heard the familiar tune of Malon's mother and knew Malon was doing what she did best: tending the horses in the setting sun. I grinned, ready to introduce the two girls to each other.

Approaching the red-haired girl I was proud to call my best friend, I released Serenity's hand so I had both of mine free. I snuck up on Malon, tiptoeing my way toward her and raising my hands to grab her shoulders. Just as I was about to grab her and make her jump, she turned around and spoke to me.

"Getting rusty, dude."

"Dang. Sure you're not just getting better at avoiding surprises, Mal?" I replied, standing up from my stalker-like position. "Anyway, my friend and I are gonna be staying at the ranch for a few days, and we're starving. Got anything to eat?"

Smirking in reply, she answered, "This is a farm, smart-aleck. We have plenty of food. Now, can I meet you friend? Is he a knight? I'm sure he is, if you're calling him a friend. Or some nobleman you're babysitting… oh," she stopped, noticing the girl behind me.

I felt the mood deaden again, and winced slightly. I had no idea what was going on with these people today, but they all seemed to get upset when they saw my divine responsibility. My job was hard enough as it was, and all I wanted was a base of operations to avoid difficult fights.

"Malon, this is Serenity. I'll tell you the whole story later, but right now, we need to get some food in our stomachs and I have to prepare some defensive spells. Will you please just help us?" I implored her, deciding whatever issues Malon and Talon had with this holy girl could be resolved later.

Malon stared at me for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Link, I don't want the usual 'Dampé said to do it' story. I want to know everything. Can you tell me the truth for once?"

"Yep, she's definitely mad about _some_thing," I muttered, silently thankful that Malon ignored me. "Yes, Mal, I'll answer every question you ask. I can eat later, so will you go ahead and feed my friend?"

I had Malon take Serenity to the house, hoping they would be able to have at least a semi-decent conversation in the meantime, and began my work on fortifying the ranch. Beginning at the house that held the one I was protecting, I set a sealing spell on the doors and windows that would prevent anyone from passing through them without permission. After I was satisfied with the results, I turned my attention to the borders.

The farther out a spell is spread, the naturally weaker it becomes. Rauru once mentioned in a lecture that even Ganon's skill was barely enough to fortify his corrupted Hyrule Castle, instead relying on a moat of lava to discourage attacks. In the fields of Lonlon Ranch, I had no chance of my magic doing the trick. Instead, I focused on smaller spells, incorporating the power of my Triforce of Courage to hold them fast.

It was tedious work, but nothing I hadn't done around campsites dozens of times. I was confident in my work, and that was likely what led to my mistake. I made my way across the field to the silo, intending on making it a last-ditch effort fort, and as I was expending the last of my strength, the worst possible scenario occurred.

I heard a loud _crash_, followed by several quick shouts. Turning toward the noise, I saw that I made a fatal error at the very start of my defense plans. I had sealed the entrances with an unbreakable barrier, but I had forgotten the simplicity of tearing down a wall to make a new entrance.

Seeing the dust rising several hundred yards away, I began sprinting as fast as I could toward the farmhouse. The shouts had not yet stopped, which was actually a good sign. It meant that there was resistance to the attacker, even if it was just Malon or Serenity screaming as they were – I stopped there, before my imagination wandered toward death and less-savory activities.

I reached my destination and was surprised by how much smoke and dust was kicked into the air. I could barely see my hand in front of my face, but I braved through and entered the remains of the kitchen. There, I saw Malon and Serenity in a far corner, with Malon holding two kitchen knives as weapons to protect her new acquaintance.

Relieved that neither of them was harmed, I turned to face their attacker. It was a man wearing dark clothing, but with the movements and low visibility, I wasn't able to determine if I knew him. He charged at Malon with incredible speed, and she barely had time to lift the knives and repel his attack. It was obvious she had been playing on the defensive this entire time and with Talon and Ingo nowhere to be seen, it was a losing battle without my aid.

I unsheathed the cheap sword common among Hylian knights and raced at the man. He turned at the last second, seemingly surprised at my charge, but deflected my blow with the same speed he used against Malon. I immediately began a second strike, and he mirrored my actions with perfect accuracy. That was all it took for me to ascertain his identity.

"Dark, you've gotten yourself a body," I snarled, taking a quick slice in his direction. Naturally, he skipped backward a safe distance, lowering his sword toward the ground as though I wasn't a threat at all.

"Yeah. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Seems the Triforce people have more going for them than I thought."

_Triforce people?_ I thought, wondering how that had any effect on Dark Link. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't have a piece of the Triforce. Who gave you a body? Ganon?"

My enemy chuckled. "You're missing something, light-me," he said, raising his right hand. He was a mirror image of me, explaining why he fought against me with an open stance. In the back of his gray glove, glowing brightly sat the Triforce of Power.

Naturally, I was shocked. In that moment where I wondered how it was possible for him to have that which was sealed with Ganon, he charged me. I didn't have time to even lift my sword before his blade tore through my shoulder.

I collapsed with a shout of pain, looking up as he stepped over my body and made his way toward the girls. Reaching out, my vision dimming, I saw him knock Malon aside with the back of his hand, an insult worse than spitting, and reach out for the girl I was supposed to give everything to protect. His hand touched her chin, forcing her face to line up with his, and I wasn't sure if I hated the idea of him kissing her or killing her more.

However, Dark Link backed away from her. He held out the back of his hand and touched her forehead with his Triforce mark. I expected her to faint, die on the spot, or have her power drained into the demon's body.

I did _not_ expect her eyes and hair to glow blue, shimmering even more brilliantly than the Triforce shards did when united in battle. I didn't expect Dark Link's body to fly back with such tremendous force so as to be knocked clean through the farmhouse's walls. My final surprise before blacking out from the loss of blood my injury was causing, I heard one word uttered by the girl growing more mysterious by the second: "law".

* * *

><p><strong>Quick author's note: an "open stance". Most fights that happen, even ones that you'll see on TV and stuff, are fought in the common "closed stance". Imagine two right-handed swordsmen or martial artists or something. Opponents face opposite directions so that their right hands are both in the front, right? This also keeps them safe from wide attacks, with their back exposed instead of the more-desirable target, the abdomen. Now imagine a left-handed and a right-handed person fighting. In order for both of their strong sides to be in front, they face the same direction. That's an open stance. Link and his counterpart fight in an open stance, even in the game (iirc), since Dark is a mirror-image. <strong>

**~F4R**


	5. Chapter 5

**While I hate excuses, as very few fully explain and forgive the offense they're excusing, I'm compelled to explain my absence with more than a quick note on my profile page.**

**I was gone all summer. I never had more than two nights of rest and recovery before heading out for wherever I was spending the next week/weekend. That started in the middle of June, and before that I had major writer's block in which I wrote and rewrote this chapter completely three times.**

**Random fact of the day: a group of officers is called a mess.**

**Chapter word count: 2,686**

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><p><em>In the beginning, there were gods. Following the gods were the people. Following the people were the beasts. But what was below the beast of the earth? That was a simple question, with a disproportionately complex answer.<em>

_The Demon Tribe. As old and powerful as the gods at the very least, this group of beings felt nothing but greed and hatred, sought nothing but the destruction of the gods' works, and did nothing that could ever be considered "good", aside from a few short dealings with humans. Naturally, these dealings were two-faced, resulting in no losses for evil and the destruction of another god-created life._

_One such deal was made between the lord of the Demon Tribe, Demise, and an unnaturally witty human. The human proposed the terms of the contract, weaving such a confusing net of words that Demise sought the aid of a scribe to dissect the dealing's exact consequences. It seemed to be quite a simple offer, but with many negative statements and "ifs" and "buts" involved. The human wanted to be granted the rights as a member of the tribe of demons, with nearly no losses suffered on his own part. This enraged Demise to such a degree that he lifted his sword, Ghirahim, toward the man._

"_If you truly wish to gain the power of the demons, I shall grant it to you!" he roared. "O Demon Tribe, hear this pact and grant it credence! I shall bestow upon this man the power he so desires, but he shall have no locomotion as other beings with bodies possess! He shall have strength incomparable, magic capacity of the highest degree, immunity to all but the greatest of weapons and magic, and the power of possession! But until a mortal being offers him a contract, he shall be blind, he shall be deaf, he shall be mute, and petrified in the form of… a mask! This 'great' demon shall have no power his owner does not allow him to use! He shall have no will with which his owner does not agree! He shall be a slave to his own ability, the truly subservient master, a man comparable with a Triforce-bearer himself, but as helpless to another being's wishes as the Triforce… and he shall be known as…"_

* * *

><p>I woke up in a cold sweat. If someone asked me what I was feeling just then, I would reply, "Like the devil himself was angry with me". Adrenaline was still coursing through my body, the veins in my arms popping and my breath coming out of my lungs fast and hot. That dream was so realistic; I knew it to be either Triforce-induced or an otherwise-magical vision. Not that I understood its meaning, of course; the gods probably found just telling me what it was they wanted to be too uninteresting.<p>

I sat up slowly once I calmed myself, recognizing my surroundings as being the hayloft in the barn. Normally my injured-quarters would be Malon's room, but if I spent too long out of commission or there was another guest, I would be demoted back to my normal lodgings. I realized my shoulder was wrapped in heavy bandages, but there wasn't any pain as far as I could tell, which meant my shoulder was healing nicely.

Standing up shakily, I made my way down the loft's ladder one-handed. I left the barn and reentered the farmhouse, and let it be known, nothing is more reassuring than the smell of cooking eggs after a battle. I grinned, opening the door. Malon was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Hello?" I called, ensuring my presence was known. "Malon, is everything going okay?"

My red-haired best friend walked into the living room beating up more eggs in a large bowl. Her hair was made up into a messy ponytail tied off with a bandana, which was a slight surprise to me; she usually wore her hair either straight-down or under a bandana to keep it out of the way. She smiled warmly when she saw me.

"The little green knight awakes!" she started. Seeing the lack of amusement on my face, she turned serious as well. "Your friend is okay. Her body seems really weak, like anemia or something. She fainted a few minutes after we got you patched up, and she's resting now. It's only been one night."

Thinking of how Malon had grown accustomed to which questions I would ask upon waking and that she could now give me status reports without a hitch, I grinned a little.

"Where am I?"

"How did I get here?"

"Is (name) safe?"

"How long was I unconscious?"

All of these and more were just another part of our shared lives. Ever since before Ganondorf took over the country, this was Malon's and my relationship. I came to the one place I knew was safe, Malon nursed me back to health, I spent a day or two keeping her company, and then I was on my way. She was the one thing in my life I could always rely on; even the Master Sword and my own skill had a few shortcomings. But Malon and Talon were always here waiting, ready to receive me not as a hero or customer, but a friend.

Realizing I was getting lost in my thoughts, I shook my head. "Thanks for taking care of Serenity."

"Link…" Malon's tone and expression told me she was starting a solemn topic. "She blew that guy who looks like you straight out of the ranch. I've seen him walking around the perimeter a few times, but he never tries to get in. What is that girl?"

I looked down at my feet, knowing this was coming and having no way to avoid the conversation. "Malon, we don't know."

"'We' being you and Dampé?"

"Correct. She's a spirit, we know that much, and evil forces are after her. My job is to protect her and stall for time until we can figure out why she's here and how to send her back home," I explained, leaving out that Dark's attacks would probably continue for a full month. Something told me that a situation where Malon had that knowledge would not be a very fun one for me. After a few more bouts of pleading and arguing, Malon's shoulders slumped and she agreed to lodge me and my charge until we could leave for Castle Town.

Thanking Malon profusely, I headed up to her room, where Serenity was sleeping. I moved a chair over to the small bed and sat in it, checking the girl/goddess/ghost's forehead. I took a small hand towel from the bucket of water placed almost perpetually (with myself to blame, most likely) beside Malon's nightstand and applied it to her Serenity's forehead.

She stirred, and I jerked my hand away from her face. There was no need to give bad impressions, and all that. Her eyes opened and she looked at me, bringing her hands up to pull the covers to her chin. I noticed her eyes were a shocking, electric blue, putting mine to shame. How I missed that up until that point, I was not aware, but it was a pleasant way to be stopped dead in my tracks, though.

"Were you playing with my hair?"

"What?" I replied quickly. The first words out of her mouth upon awakening startled me into confusion. "Why would I be doing that?"

Serenity turned her head toward me without moving her body. "You seem like the gentle type, who would straighten up a young lady's hair as she slept and ruffled it. Would you rather I assumed you were doing something lecherous?"

I felt my face get hot. Serenity did her tiny, bell-like giggle. "I assume that to mean you were not playing with my hair, and certainly not for any untoward reasons."

After such an odd exchange, especially for the quiet hero and his calm amnesiac companion, we made a bit of small talk. I recall that Serenity sat up near the start of this, making for a much less-awkward conversational position. We didn't sat anything that mattered enough for me to recall at the time of this writing, but there was a lingering feeling about Serenity's first question that made it seem odd to me. I pondered it while talking about the weather, Malon, Epona, and how we were going to meet with Zelda (and how little of the plan was actually _planned_). I was certain Serenity noticed I was distracted, but I hoped it would be a little longer before she deduced what was occupying my thoughts.

Finally, I connected a few dots. The fight with Dark Link, Serenity's worry for her hair, even the way we were conversing at the current moment, almost as if one of us was trying to distract the other... Then it hit me: Serenity's special power. I had completely forgotten about it! Her hair glowed as well, which explained her worry that I was examining it.

"Serenity, what was that power you used?"

"Power?" she played dumb. Of course, considering her track record in the knowledge and wisdom department, even I knew better than to buy the act. I decided to keep calm, rather than get angry and irritate the woman who still carried the might-be-a-goddess card.

"Against my doppelganger. The guy like me, but evil. He tried to kill you, and you blew him to high heaven. Does that description ring any bells," I asked, "Or are you losing your new memories as well?"

Oh, that sounded much more malicious that I intended. Thankfully, the blunette ignored me and attempted to reply in earnest. "Link, I remember that I did something, but… I don't know," she straightened her hair and attempted to comb it with her fingers. "Something came over me, and I felt so alive I just went with the flow. I remember my hair glowed, it that's any help at all…"

I sighed. We were having a good talk for a time, but Serenity was quickly returning to her emotionless state of behavior. I suddenly wondered when I cared about her social activity, but then I reminded myself that no man could ever have a chance with a deity, and told myself to drop whatever hopes I had of becoming closer to her.

"So, your hair glowed blue, you shouted an incantation that nobody heard clearly, and now evil me can't enter the property," I stated. "Does that summarize our situation?"

Serenity nodded, but then refuted me. "Actually, even though we didn't hear it, I can think of two other people who were listening quite intently."

"So that would mean Malon and… Oh, no," I shuddered. "Why would we go to that guy and try to hold a pleasant conversation with him?"

"Are you referring to the farm girl?"

"Farm girl? Malon? No, I meant Dark Link. The other guy who heard you," I explained.

"No no no," Serenity cut me off. "Malon already told me that her ears were ringing from that evil man's strike and she heard less than you did. I referred to the two magic-users who were with us in the room."

I took in her words, but not at face value. I still had no idea as to whether Serenity was even an amnesiac, and while I believed that claim, surely some of her enigmatic behaviors were false, I figured. If Dark Link was one of the magic users… "Who's the other guy who was there?" I asked.

Serenity looked surprised at my query. "You know him well, Link. He was the first man to whom I was introduced since you found me in Hyrule Field."

…Dampé. Serenity was referring to Dampé. That ghost was watching the whole time and didn't lift a finger to help. I stood up, aiming my voice upward, toward the ceiling. "Damn it, Dampé! You follow me ten miles and leave me _and_ the most important person in the country to be butchered? What's wrong with you?"

And with his usual creepy cackled, the apparition of the old gravedigger appeared before me. "Heheheh, well that's a funny story, Link! See, I saw when you had all those visions from the Triforce, so I kinda went in sync with your brain until I could figure some stuff out for myself."

"What. Stuff?" I asked through my teeth.

"Like how Dark Link got the Triforce of Power. Nasty bit 'a business there. I thought that Na-Serenity's power would keep him away, but something better happened."

"HOW was that better?"

Dampé cackled again. "Because, dear boy, we just got to see some more of our goddess-ly friend's abilities! Now, I'll go ahead and answer your original question. What the little deity said was, 'I am the Golden One, Lady of Hyrule', then a bit of power, and a bit of courage, blah blah blah, point is, she's either a goddess, an oracle of a goddess, or a personal handmaiden of a goddess with said goddess' blessing. Also, I couldn't help you in the fight even if I wanted to do so."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not really here. It's a bit of illusion magic. You know, it's an apparition. I mean, an apparition of me, while I myself am also an apparition. I guess what you can say is that you're talking to an apparition of an apparition of a spirit. Got that?"

"No."

"Too bad! Also, I have a plan for you to beat Dark Link for good."

I finally heard something to alleviate my rising temper. "How?"

"Can't say for certain yet."

My temper went straight back to its previous level.

"But I will say this: it involves the Triforce, your little blue-haired girlfriend, the blessing of Nayru so we can screw with time a bit, and a mask. You'll know when you need to know. Toodles!"

The ghost vanished before I could stop him, and I stared blankly at the place where it had been standing. "So… Now what?"

"Link, Serenity, breakfast!" we heard a certain red-haired farm girl call from the bottom of the stairs. "Get it while it's hot!"

Serenity smiled, climbing out of the bed. _Oh Din_, I thought, noticing she was wearing one of Malon's matching outfits, complimenting her well enough that I looked away until I stopped blushing. "I guess that's what's next."

I took Serenity's hand, as she was still weak from overusing her strength, and we made our way down the stairs and to the table, where the three farmhands were already eating. As we finished up and Malon began clearing dishes, Talon and Ingo headed out to work. The moment the door was closed, I pulled out a rolled-up sheet of paper.

"So here's the plan," I started, pressing the parchment flat on the table. Malon and Serenity both looked over it. "First, we need to get a message to Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Simple enough. As long as Serenity stays here, where she's safe, I can make a day trip and find the running man. He'll happily deliver letters. Next, we're going to meet up here. At this point, or even before, I expect Dampé to be finished with his preparations. At that point, and after ascertaining that you," I gestured to Serenity, "Won't get hurt by his plan, we'll go ahead and get whatever assistance he thinks he can offer. After that, I either go out and kill Dark Link, or we fortify the farm and wait out his month. Does this sound fair to everyone?"

Malon nodded, but Serenity raised her hand. "Link, that all sounds good, but something I caught during Dampé's little speech confused me a little."

"Yeah, what? If I can help, I will," I smiled. I couldn't believe Serenity was not only confused, but announcing the fact as well.

"Er…" her face took on a faint pink tinge. "What does it mean when one says that I am your girlfriend?"

My face grew red, Malon suddenly became a tomato, and I knew I was in for some seriously dangerous passive-aggression.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I love writing. I really do. I love this story. I really do. I hate myself every time I leave it. I hate procrastinating. I've been doing it less and less. I try. :'(**

**I hated this chapter. Every rendition of it. This one just made the most sense. Seriously. One of the completed ideas was where Link wakes up... And the month was already finished. He learns he stumbled into the ranch the previous night, he kissed Malon, passed out and lost his memories of the past thirty days. Then he goes on a quest to recover his memory, even with everyone telling him he succeeded. Awful. D:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Nothing makes me feel guiltier than seeing fanfiction notifications in my inbox. A big thank-you to all who reviewed; I plan on returning to replying to each reviewer individually with the release of this chapter.**

**Of course, a year after I design a blunette OC for Zelda, specifically choosing that hair color to make her unique/Nayru-like, Lana is created…**

**I've been considering changing my URL from F4R to Monado-Boy. Just a heads-up.**

**Random opinion of the day: The Fault in Our Stars was John Green's worst book.**

**Chapter word count: 3,844**

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><p><em>It was quite a conundrum. My ally and I spent hours working on the contract, exploiting loopholes and finding words with objectionable definitions to confuse the contractor, yet in the end, all we did was enrage Demise and I paid the price. I lost track of my partner after the curse was laid upon me, but that was only natural for one with clouded senses and no locomotive capabilities. I thanked Nayru above for my boundless patience, without which I would have lost my mind long before my first host arrived and wore me.<em>

_He was weak, and mere moments after unleashing my power he was corrupted and destroyed, his spirit sinking into the abyss from whence all demons came. But that taste of freedom, that excruciatingly-short instant in between when his magical reserves ran dry and the poor man's death, I was in full control. I could look where I wanted, move how I wanted, fight and kill whomever I wanted… With all the power granted me by the contract to use as I pleased. That one moment of euphoria sustained me until the next host put me on his head. Whether that was mere moments or entire eons, I had no idea. An immortal being tends to ignore such menial things as time._

_I was happy, a tormented soul no more. Whether Demise had calculated for my happiness I cared not; my only concern was that he would learn of it and proceed to erase my one remaining joy. Then one day, as I sensed the greatest potential host I had ever encountered pick me up, I knew that I would be tortured more so than ever by this man. For he was already wearing a demon mask, one resembling my partner in crime from years past: Majora._

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><p>I moaned, rubbing my temples. Currently situated in the loft of the barn again, I had thrown my bag against the wall, spilling weapons and shattered glass everywhere. It had been about six hours since Serenity and Malon had squared off in the kitchen, and being in the middle of too dead-calm young women in a duel of passive-aggression resulted in too much stress for me to handle. Dark Link had yet to make a move, but with the way things were going, between Serenity's odd combination of wisdom and ignorance, Malon's sudden coldness toward me, Talon's and Ingo's carelessness, and my own stress from magic lessons, a sudden quest and planning a royal commute, I was starting to believe all Dark had to do to win was wait.<p>

Giving up on getting anything accomplished today, I flopped down onto the pile of straw that was my bed. I already threw up some alarms in case Dark Link ended up breaking through Serenity's barrier, but I didn't see that happening any time soon. Supporting the back of my head with both hands, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"He's an #!*% ," the girl mutters, trying to savor the feeling of wind in her hair. "He's a clueless, uncaring, idiotic jerk, is what he is. No clue at all about how other people feel."<p>

The horse and its rider leap the fence easily, and Malon pulls the reins sharply to turn in the small pasture.

"He's such an idiot…"

Another jump. Another turn.

"A jerk…"

Another jump. Another turn.

"Acts so innocent, so carefree…"

Another jump. Another turn. A slight increase in speed.

"Thought Zelda wanted him, then she tells me to go for it before I lose my chance…"

Another jump. Another turn. Another slight increase in speed.

"I was just working up the courage to tell him…"

Another jump. Another turn. Unwittingly going faster and faster, as the girl's eyesight begins to blur.

"Then he shows up with… A girlf-… a girl—"

Too worked up to see properly, the redhead misses a turn, promptly forcing Epona to take control, digging her hooves into the ground in an effort to stop while inadvertently throwing Malon into the mud. Already feeling miserable, the 17-year-old doesn't even work up the energy to move from her filthy spot. Instead, she groans in an I-give-up tone, curling up on her side.

"If you're PMSing that bad, couldja at least hide away where y'ain't botherin' the ones trying to work? Ingo asks, having walked over to feed the horses. Getting a grunt and a middle finger, he walks away muttering.

Malon lies there for a few more minutes before feeling the chestnut mare begin nuzzling her. After pushing the horse's head in the opposite direction fails several times, she begins to smile and sits up. Hugging Epona's neck and burying her face in the horse's neck, she remains still, stifling her shudders until she is confident enough to make her way to her bedroom.

Of course, upon opening the door, she remembers why she wasn't already using her room to sulk.

* * *

><p><em>I open my eyes, frowning when I see the one who broke my meditation. The red-haired girl with the emotional attachment to Link was staring at me. Her face was reddened, but logic stated that this was not in response to seeing me, but already present, given the deepness of the red tingeing her eyes and cheeks. It would make one feel pity and possibly even instill an idea that she is "cute", excepting the case in which I find myself, where irrational anger is slightly clouding my judgment and reasoning capabilities.<em>

_"Would you wish me to leave your room?" I find myself asking, wondering why I would offer such a thing. Balance must be maintained, and doing right to one who has wronged oneself is not usually considered fair. Perhaps the girl's considerable charm was causing me to feel sympathy after all._

_Malon looks at me calmly, an impressive feat given our recent disagreement and her current emotional state. "No," she snaps out of her surprise, "That's all right. I forgot what I came up here for. I'll let you rest, then."_

_Before Malon can close the door, I call out to her again, mentally berating myself. "Hold a moment, Miss Malon."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I am… sorry for implying that there is a romantic bond between Link and I," I apologize. "Someone else applied the term of 'Link's girlfriend' to me, and I was unaware that it was a term usually used in courtship. I can assure you there is no such thing."_

_Malon awkwardly smiles at me in acknowledgement before shutting the door softly. I am initially happy that she does not seem to resent me in particular, but I cannot shake the feeling of discomfort I feel when I insist that Link is available as a lover: in other words, that he and I are not lovers. Sighing at the complicated emotions that come with this Hylian body (have I had other bodies?), I resume my full lotus position atop Malon's bed sheets and restart the meditations recommended to me by Dampé._

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><p>Malon leaves the farmhouse with slightly lighter steps, beginning to hum her mother's song as she strolls back to the pasture. Aware that Link is most likely resting, and still doubtful of the situation with Serenity, Malon knows better than to say something she'd regret. Instead, she continues with her daily chores, thanking Ingo for picking up the slack. The man grunted.<p>

While seeing Dark Link on the ranch's outskirts had become commonplace for the ranchers over the past three days, it made it no less concerting when he would suddenly charge at the property at full steam, only to be knocked away. Malon was much too tentative to test what would happen to others that touched the invisible barrier, but Link at least seemed to think it was safe. Still, watching the demonic doppelganger of the boy for whom she cared swinging weapons of all types at an invisible wall was quite frightening. It didn't help that Malon had a fairly decent idea of what would happen if the man did make it through the barrier.

Turning away from her view of Dark Link, Malon fetched a brush and began tending to Epona. Becoming lost in her thoughts and singing, she failed to notice the specter materializing behind her. That is, she didn't notice until she felt a heavy, icy hand on her shoulder.

Jumping and turning around, Malon drew the dagger she had been keeping at her hip since Dark's attack and slashed. Since she threw everything into an attack on a ghost, she went straight through it, spinning nearly 360 degrees and losing her balance. She took a defensive position before realizing that the spirit was Dampé, at least from Link's descriptions.

"Ah…" the elderly wizard's ghost wheezed. "Malon… Just as… beautiful as everyone seems to… say…"

"Who are you?!" Malon asked, still defensive.

"Ya knew me when you were…" Dampé grimaced in sudden pain, "a l'il girl. I'm Dampé the grave… digger."

Something was wrong. Link had never implied that Dampé was a tormented soul. He left the impressions that he was rather carefree and borderline stupid, at least in Link's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Smiling sadly, Dampé shook his head. "Nah… This'll pass soon. Just didn't expect for Dark Link… To come for me when he couldn't… get in."

"He attacked you?" Malon asked, incredulous.

"Yeh… you could call it that. But I'm gonna lose my form for a while, and I don't have the… energy to wake up Link… so you're the best I got."

"The best you've got for what?"

"Jus' a bit a info. That girl, Serenity – why are y'already tensing up; this is the part before the bad… part. Eh, well, she's a full-blown goddess of Hyrule, I think. That's the… good news."

Uncomprehending, Malon stared at the old man. Serenity was a goddess? All that Link had said was that she was a spirit that Dark Link was chasing for unknown reasons. This changed everything: if Dark Link could tap into her power, not only would he be pretty much unstoppable, there would be an extremely high possibility that Ganon could be resurrected. But then, Malon's mind caught up to the conversation.

"So what's the bad news?"

"Actually, I got three pieces for ya. Which one… ya want first? The bad or… the really bad or… the really, really bad?"

"Surprise me."

"Dark Link's Triforce of Power can easily smash the barrier around the ranch… as soon as… he figures out how. That's the okay… news. Number two ya won't… understand; it's a message for… the princess. Jus' tell 'er that the mask I prepared can be… found in my hiding… spot."

"And the really, really bad news?"

"I was jus' checkin' the meters and… If Dark Link even touches Serenity again, even for a second, he would… probably be able to take… enough power to destroy this entire… plateau. And if he does manage to kill… her, it'd be child's play to control the planet."

"Any advice, or just lazy warnings?"

"Link… mentioned you were snarky," Dampé smirks. "But it seemed like he… liked it. Well, this is a worst… case scenario, and should be avoided until Dark… Link is seconds away from killing the girl."

"So what do we do?"

"Not we," Dampé corrected Malon. "You. It's what… you do. Keep this part a… secret from… Link, and especially from Serenity, got it? Good. Now: if all hope is lost… I want you to kill Serenity."

* * *

><p>Waking up from my nap and straightening out the piles of equipment I left in the barn's loft, I head out to find some food. Naturally, I plow straight into Malon as I leave the barn. I begin to apologize, ready for some of that passive-aggression to turn into screaming, but then I notice the expression on her face.<p>

She's extremely pale, and appears to have the beginnings of a cold sweat. Something shocked her, or else she's incredibly sick on short notice. "Are you all right, Mal?"

Malon barely looks at me. Her eyes don't seem to focus right, like when someone is exhausted and inattentive to others. After a brief silence, she walks past me, not even doing her usual "I'm angry" bit where she shoulders me hard enough to knock me off balance.

Stunned, I watched her leave. This week was full of firsts for me: first protection job, first conversation with my doppelganger, first time I've walked into the ranch and seen Talon already working, first time Malon was acting so silent, first serious crush – wait, what? I shook my head before I distracted myself and headed into the house and up to Malon's room.

Sleeping soundly in Malon's bed was my charge, completely free of injury. I chuckled a little at seeing Serenity's position, sitting up, legs crossed with feet atop knees but head slumped downward. She had probably been meditating or focusing magical energy and her body just couldn't keep up with her intentions. She was definitely working herself too hard, not that I was any better at the moment. As I approached, she opened her eyes.

"It is quite rude to watch a lady sleep, good sir knight," she reprimanded, a hint of playfulness in her singsong voice.

"Well, it's not very often that I see someone sleeping in quite that position," I replied, faux-sheepishly placing a hand on the back of my head. "It was fascinating, so I had to observe it."

"Sure," she smiled. Changing the subject, she said, "I think that we should prepare tonight's meal. Malon and the men deserve a little break."

* * *

><p>Two hours later, I was pulling a casserole and a loaf of bread out of the oven. That and cleaning were my only roles. Every time I've ever cooked, someone commented on the taste of charcoal andor the lack of nutrition, and it took me a dozen or more attempts to realize that those were bad things. Serenity was finished setting the table, so I went out to call the ranchers in for supper. Talon and Ingo called back, and I saw Malon pacing a few yards away, so I reentered the building to eat.

Dinner was silent, without even Talon's and Ingo's usual noisy eating and drinking. I suppose it was the mood hanging over our heads, that feeling where apologies have already been said and accepted, but lingering emotions made things just as awkward. Naturally, Malon practically scarfed her food and left first, and though I stood up when she did to confront her, the glare she gave me sat me back down in my seat.

After Malon stormed out of the house, I looked toward Serenity and was met with a sharp stare even more disconcerting, so I took the hint and ran after Malon after all. It was already dark, and I could feel a light drizzle that was quickly becoming heavier. I spotted Malon in the distance, running as fast as she could. Naturally, I did the thing any bonehead would do: book it down the field chasing her.

I gain on her fairly quickly, but the rain is becoming a downpour, and the forming mud begins slowing both of our movements. When I'm about six feet behind her, she stumbles, and before I can catch myself I plow into her. We go down in the mud, and some small, narcissistic part of me still cares more about my green tunic than the people around me.

"LET ME GO!" my best friend shrieks, lying on her back while I straddle her hips. "Get off me!"

"You'll just run away from me again!" I shout back, feeling the rain pound my back. I think she spits at me, but I'm already drenched and can't tell. I do feel the searing pain as her nails rake my cheeks, and I slightly regret following my battle-instinct to pin her wrists with my hands. "Why do you always act so crazy when I need your help the most? Can you not even tell me what's wrong?!"

"Get off me, you asshole!" Malon's voice breaks and I realize that she's crying. I soften my grip, but don't make any more moves. As I look at her, stunned at my own stupidity for making her cry _again,_ she shouts again. "How much of a-an idiot can you be?!"

"What in the gods' names is wrong with you, Mal? Do you want something from me? Ever since the time gap, you've been acting like you never want to see me!"

"Time gap?" Malon mutters, relaxing as she gives in to my superior strength. "'time gap'? THERE WAS NO DAMNED TIME GAP!" she screams at me, and I feel the pain and rage in her voice stabbing me like Ganon's swords. "_YOU_ got a time gap! _YOU _skipped seven _years_ of hell at Ganon's mercy! _YOU_ got the Triforce, the Master Sword, the Seven Sages, a beautiful princess, _my horse,_ and a goddess infatuated with you! You know what I got, Fairy Boy? You wanna know how I spent those seven years you spent sleeping? My father ran out on me, I was verbally, physically and sexually abused by a man I trusted, and I didn't dare leave and lose my last connection to my mother! And all of that time, every evening when I was out singing, I hoped, prayed and begged the goddesses that my one childhood friend would come rescue me. Then a miracle happens, my knight in shining armor comes, he wins my freedom… and takes the horse to which I devoted my sacrifices for seven years?"

I could only stare at her. I noticed the blood dripping down my face was staining her white blouse, so I angled my chin to drip off to the side of Malon's face. After a brief moment of silence, her voice, ice-cold and collected, sounds again.

"Tell me. Tell me why I should have helped you. Tell me why you deserved a second, no, third chance to even be my acquaintance. Give me a reason that I let you, a near-total stranger – a man, even – sleep in the loft of my barn while I was alone in my house. Explain why I spent the majority of the past year and a half nursing your wounds and letting you exchange menial labor for my food, especially when I knew you'd be returning in a week or two with fresh wounds to bind. Because right now, with that… _thing_ in my bed, the magic swirling around her, I want to know why you even bother with me, and why I keep bothering with you."

I stare into Malon's deep, blue eyes. I can think of nothing to say. Malon was right in that I use her more than I like, but I always try to pay her back. Has she been feeling this way all this time? I quickly send a call for eloquence advice from Nayru before speaking. "Malon, I'm sorry."

Silence. Thanks for the help, Nayru.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!"<p>

"Bless ya, Serenity."

* * *

><p>"Get off me."<p>

"No."

"Get off. Me."

"You'll run away."

"Get off me or I'll scream."

"Nobody's here to hear you."

"You sound like you're going to violate me."

"I'm not going to violate you."

"That really makes the pinned-down woman feel safer, especially coming from the man holding her to the ground."

"Malon, will you listen to me for _one second_?"

"Will you get off of me for_ever_?"

"No."

"Then no."

"Malon!"

"Douchebag?"

"Give me a chan-" I catch myself.

"Excuse me, I _know_ you weren't going to say 'chance'."

"May I ask you a question?"

"May I be allowed to take a deep breath without feeling constricted from the weight on my stomach?"

Sighing, I decide to compromise and end up making our position much more awkward. Trying to keep Malon pinned beneath me, I shift my weight, leaning forward until I'm lying down nearly parallel along her body. Her chest is pressed against mine, our faces are inches apart, and both of us are seething with anger.

"Malon, why are you mad at me? Is it really just all of this stuff combined? Or is there something that set you off?" I ask.

Silence again.

"Can you breathe?" I ask cynically. "That was our deal."

She takes a deep breath, and I feel her press even closer against me, stirring a reaction. I feel my heart beat faster, and wonder if she's doing this on purpose at this point. "Fairy Boy…" she breathes. "You are the single most clueless man I could ever have imagined."

I grin a little. We're cooling our anger, but our cheeks stay flushed, even in the freezing rain. "I hear that a lot… But seriously. Is there something up here?"

Her smile thins out considerably. "Link… Do you really have no idea? After I try, and I try, and I try so hard to get you to notice me as –"

"As…?" I prod.

Malon seems to shrink underneath my body. "Well… as… more than friends?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

The redhead frowns again. "Link… I love you."

_Shink!_

I hear the sound of metal on metal as my mind locks itself away. Malon? Link? Fairy Boy? Farmer Girl? Marriage? Cuccos? Redhead? Gerudo? Ganondorf? Kotake and Koume? Magic? Triforce? Okay: first, put the Juicy Chicken Number One in the microwave until the D-Mail is at five, then the microwave was invented by Dampé the Gravedigger in the ninth year in the reign of King Dominus Hyrule the First, but only if the Hookshot was set to purple, but then Farore would get mad and put the Triforce of Courage in someone else, and I'd be stuck fighting Ganon with a wooden sword a monkey stole from a ten-year-old—

"Link?"

I don't respond right away, and Malon ends up being the one to make the first move.

As her lips meet mine, sparks fly. I release my hold on her hands and she holds the side of my face, both of us ignoring the torn flesh. It had stopped bleeding a while ago, and the rain washed it clean. I press more of my weight against her, and take a moment to appreciate the fragility of her body, a trait I'd never noticed before now. Wrapped up in passion and hormones as we were, and still lying nearly right on top of Malon, I feel something strange and suddenly break the kiss.

"Link?"

"Malon, this is…"

She pales. "Oh, no, I knew I shouldn't have done this. Oh, gods, you hate me…"

Sitting up and sliding off of her, I quickly assure her that her assumption wasn't the case. "Malon, be quiet for a second. There's a hole in the barrier."

"Barrier?" she asks. "What – oh, Din, the house!"

Tearing my eyes away from the empty spot where there should have been energy on the side of the property, I strain my eyes to see the faint outline of the farmhouse holding Serenity, Talon and Ingo. That's when I notice the magical green flames quickly taking the house down to ashes.

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><p><strong>Okay, first attempt at writing anything remotely dramatic since my return. How was it? Good? Bad? Better make this a collab with a drama author? Drop the fic? Meh?<strong>

**Special note: I have made really, REALLY obscure references in every chapter. One of them referred to Chrom/Lucina/Marth as "blue-haired nobles". Two in this chapter, one referencing Fate/stay night and one referencing Steins;Gate.**

**Final note: the computer I used had a profanity filter on it. I changed the stuff back. Lemme know if I missed a " #$%" somewhere.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The same night I posted the last chapter, a power surge fried my computer. This entire chapter was composed using my phone. With a digital keyboard. So it'll probably be on the short/bad side.**

**Random fact of the day: this situation sucks. So bad.**

**Word count: 2,739**

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><p><em>Thousands of years passed. While originally this time would seem like the blink of an eye for a being such as myself, the fact that I was in the possession of my comrade-turned-enemy put a damper on my imprisonment. I never liked or even truly trusted Majora before I was transformed into the Fierce Deity, but now that he had my mask and an entire Sheikah cult in his control, I knew that he was an evil even I could not comprehend.<em>

_Well, the years went by much more slowly than I was accustomed, but they did pass. The Dark Tribe was eradicated by those mongrels of the Hylian royal family, the true Sheikah. Their leader, the formless one who mirrored the darkness in others' hearts, was sealed away in the Water Temple, the sole survivor. I heard that a Triforce-bearer enslaved him and made him into his loyal right hand, but I doubted such a being could be subdued so easily. Then again, Majora's Mask and I were both hidden away by the Sheikah, so he could have been much weaker than when he had us._

_Speaking of Majora and I, we had several more millennia of emptiness before being unleashed again. This time, Hyrule seemed to be in yet another war over the Sacred Realm, and both of us were all too happy to loan our power to sorcerers and witches on both sides, wreaking havoc wherever we were worn. I recall one of my hosts having very specific orders about chasing down a Hylian mother before she reached the Great Deku Tree, but he deigned not to wear me until too late. Naturally, I tempted him until he did wear me, and we killed the mother as she left the Lost Woods. My host died shortly thereafter, leaving me immobile and without an owner again._

_Majora found me. Again. If not for my immortality, I find it quite likely that I would have despaired at wasting my lifetime in his possession. He tortured me with sheer boredom, and I was happy to see him lose his host. We both ended up in the hands of a merchant, but his mentality was quite strange. He was already without sense, so we could not drive him mad or possess him to wear us. So there we stayed, as he channeled our magic to traverse the timelines._

_Majora escaped in a world parallel to Hyrule, and he took me with him and his imp of a host. It always struck me as odd that Majora, the stronger of us two, would be able to maintain his control over hosts for so long before they were corrupted. It wasn't until he willingly gave me a host and we battled to the death that I understood his ability: he gave them small tastes of strength, draining little by little, until they were mindless puppets, rather than blowing his strength all out at once and killing the wearer. I resolved after the boy who was my host, Link, returned me to the mask salesman that I would emulate the now-destroyed Majora with my future hosts. It was nearly right then that I noticed the air distorting around me, barely hearing the salesman's panicked shouts as I disappeared, summoned by someone new through a time-space ripple. The last thing I knew before darkness was the deformed face of a crippled wizard in brown, and a ghost-like cackle at his summoning success._

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><p>Pulling Malon's hand and sprinting toward the farmhouse, I was already wondering just what had possessed me to kiss her. Had she kissed me first, and I just went along with it? Highly doubtful; I kissed her back and might've gone further if not for the current predicament. Unfortunately, as I approached the burning building I knew I'd have to figure out my feelings later.<p>

Inside, I find the two farmhands and Serenity pouring bucket upon bucket of water on several pieces of furniture, green flames refusing to go out. "Serenity, what's going on?" I shout.

She turns around and does a slight smile. "We're safe, this was just a little accident!"

...Accident? I wonder what kind of accident would set the inside and outside of the farmhouse on GREEN fire, but resolve to ask about it after the fact. I quickly call upon the Calming of the Burning Rage (taught to me by Dampé) and the fire dies out nearly instantly. Another hour, another crisis averted. Sighing in exasperation, I turn toward the blunette.

"What was it?"

She looks down, her cute bangs covering her eyes. "Well... I was meditating, and tried getting into the same mentality I used against your evil twin. Then I... sort of remembered an incantation, and used it."

"I sort of expected it to be blue," Malon walks over, crushing a bit of singed hair with her hands. Without thinking, I reach my hand out and fix her hair in place behind her ear, making her blush. "You know, like how Link's magic is all green and yellow, like Farore and the Triforce."

Serenity and I look at her, confused. "And?" I ask. "Why would she be blue in particular?"

Malon does her thing only I can see she does when she lies: she twirls a strand of her radiant red hair with her left hand while picking at her right thumbnail with her middle finger down at her side. After that, she usually looks to her left. "I just sorta figured."

I stare as deeply into her eyes as I can.

"She's got blue hair."

Stare.

"Her attack on Dark Link was blue."

Stare.

"She's got this aura about her that's just... blue."

Stare. Subtle wink to throw her off. A blush I didn't intend to reap. _Damn it, Link, quit making it worse before you figure stuff out!_

Giving up, Malon throws her hands up in the air. "She's Nayru, Link. Golden Goddess of Wisdom, creator of Triforce, Zelda's patron, blah blah blah."

The air froze. Talon and Ingo shut up in the background. Serenity looked from Malon to me. I looked blankly forward. Serenity, situated behind me, touched my shoulder. I jumped and shook it off, instantly regretting my rejection of her when I saw the hurt in her eyes.

Serenity lowered her hand, looking at me with an expression like a deer staring into headlights. She took a step backward, likely seeing the fear that crossed my face for a split second and filling with fear herself. She took another step, and before I could reach out to stop her she bolted through the open door into the pasture.

I headed after her, but Malon caught my hand. I turned to look at her and saw the apprehension in her eyes. Now: I am not a totally clueless man, and was only slightly worse at the time this was happening. I understood that Malon didn't want me chasing after Serenity; gods, half an hour ago that resulted in a minor makeout session in the rain and mud with the last girl I chased. But regardless of where I believed my feelings to lie, I couldn't leave Serenity alone, especially after this revelation.

"Let me go," Malon offered, and I quickly agreed. After she headed back out into the night, I realized that it had stopped raining. Lucky her.

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><p>I was Nayru. This revelation wasn't computing. Was it true? I could feel myself panicking. It was a very bad situation. If Link failed his duty and my power wasn't enough for a last-ditch effort, Dark link could win.<p>

At least, that was what I was trying to convince myself. The truth was that I was scared. I was aware just how cold I come off as to others, but apparently my very nature was the goddess of wisdom. Yet for all my analytical behavior, I was too scared to think straight. The sexual tension between Link and Malon was much higher, we had just given the running man the letter for Zelda, and then on top of it all we have an inkling who I am? I wondered how Link could put up with all of his additional issues.

I realized I was pacing in the field, and headed toward the silo. It was still too wet to stay outdoors. Inside was another cow and plenty of stored food and hay. Pulling a few bales apart, I made a pile of straw in a corner. I just wanted to hide away and be a little girl for a while, alone. As I settled in, something caught my eye: several tiny pictures scratched into the stonework in the silo's corner.

First, a pair of poorly-etched stick figures, one with long hair and another with either a snake on its head or Link's green hat. A little circle floated above them, and a four-legged creature next to the girl. Link, Malon and their partners, then. Musical notes surrounded the picture. A foot or two away was a better-drawn, female figure and a horse. It was easier to see this time around, probably drawn by an older Malon. It seemed that Malon's wardrobe only went through some minor alterations over the years, supposing this was drawn when she was twelve. Following that picture was what seemed to be an adult Link and flamboyant man racing horses, but the scrawling was intentionally scratched out again and again. Did Malon not enjoy this race?

Following that were six similar scratchings of Malon watching Link sleep, and there were little dates above each, stretched out over three months. The logical assumption from the data of Malon's and Link's relationship was that these were the periods of time he spent recovering from the six temples. Two a month was quite impressive.

At this point, I had followed the drawings from the right edge of one wall along to the left of the next wall. There was a sack of grain covering the next part, but before I could move it aside, I heard the creak of the silo's door and jumped away, feeling guilty.

Malon was standing there, and I knew she had seen my miniature investigation. Though there was a slang word that fit a little better: snooping. She looked at the wall, then to me, sighed, and flopped down onto my pile of straw with me.

"That's me and Link."

"I know," I reply curtly. I realize that I appear rude much of the time, but I do not try. I just have no interest in saying anything unnecessary.

Malon spoke again. "Dampé told me you were Nayru. That's kind of scary."

I nodded. It was scary. I knew that, and felt terrible. My heart rate was just slowing to normal before Malon brought it back up, but I could feel it rising again. I knew she was trying to help, or at least keep me from panicking and doing something stupid like suicide, but there was no way logic would allow for such an action on my part and Malon was just riling me up more.

"How does a goddess just turn into a mortal?" I ponder aloud. "Could it have been an accident? Or even an attack? Such an event would explain my... loss of memory..."

Malon didn't reply at first. As she lied on her back, staring into the rafters, she spoke her thoughts. "Ganondorf has been sealed away. Could he...?"

"I doubt it. With the power to snatch a goddess, he could just climb out of his prison."

"But what if... Oh, Farore," Malon gasps, sitting up.

Without thinking, I say, "Use Din's name in vain; she couldn't care less," then I have an intense feeling of déjâ vu all the way back in chapter two. Noticing Malon's expression of terror, I ask, "What is it?"

"Serenity. What if Ganondorf... _did_ have enough power to escape whenever he wanted? And he used that power for something else, so he had to give the Triforce of Power to Dark Link?"

I understood what she was getting at. However, deciding to follow the generic conversational prompt she was giving me, I urged her to continue. "Malon, are you saying he somehow is responsible for my predicament?"

"Think about it. Put yourself in your opponent's shoes. If I ruled for seven years and lost against the first opposition to arise, I'd want to gather enough strength to defeat that opposition, that symbol of hope for the people of Hyrule. But if that person has the same trump card that I do - the Triforce - I would try getting the additional power from an external source."

"You assume that Ganon dragged the goddess Nayru straight from her throne, erased her memory, transformed her into a mortal creation of Farore, then had enough power to hand over the Triforce of Power to Dark Link and send him from the Dark Realm with the intention of kidnapping or... killing... me to steal my power and give it to his master?"

"That's one possibility."

"Pretty decent deduction for an uneducated farm brat," Dark Link interrupts from the doorway. "But you're missing one piece of info: I'm in it for myself, not Ganon."

And drawing his sword, the Triforce mark on Dark Link's right hand begins to glow.

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><p>Malon having left a short while ago, I was just finishing up the binding spells to fix the burnt furniture when it hit me and I froze. If the fire was Serenity's fault, and there was already a breach in her barrier, Dark Link was probably already-<p>

_CRASH!_

That noise is the one 2assigned to the silo door's alarm being tripped. I barrel through the front door, knocking Ingo to the wet ground on the other side. One minute of running to reach the silo. Why was this plateau so damned big?

Inside the silo, lying face-down in a pool of blood... is Malon.

Malon

Is

Lying

In

A

Pool

Of

Blood

She can't be dead

She can't be dead.

She can't be dead.

Oh, Din, she can't be dead.  
>Farore, this isn't fair; she's my best friend, she can't be dead.<br>Damn it, she was as essential to Hyrule's salvation as I was. She can't be dead.  
>I'm breaking, like I was after the time gap before Malon calmed me down.<br>I'm breaking, like after the Shadow Temple put me into traumatic nightterrors and Malon held my hand for three days straight.  
>I'm breaking, like when I kissed her and loved it.<br>I'm breaking, and Malon can't help. She's lying in a pool of blood.

I'm breaking, and barely notice time freeze and a brilliantly glowing woman with green hair appear before me. Then I feel the stinging sensation of a hand across my cheek.

_"By me, you're hopeless. You are Link, Hero of Time, savior of Hyrule, Defeater of Demise, eternally reborn or made a progeny of. Grow the hell up. People die. People fight. Your best friend is lying in a pool of blood, and you're falling apart? Youre not even trying to do anything! Where's Nayru? Is Malon actually dead? Is it too late to save one or both of them? All of these questions and their respective actions should come instinctively to you, my champion, but you're losing your one job. Damn, I feel like Din, getting so heated and involving myself where I don't belong. Just get to work, Link, before I give Courage to someone else!"_

Then the woman vanishes. _Was that... Farore? _I wonder, dumbstruck. _And did she just take her own name in vain?_

Snapping out of my stupor, I rush to Malon's side. Gods, there's so much blood... I shake her lightly, and oh thank Nayru, her eyes open.

She looks a me. There's a glassy look in her eyes. "Link... Nayru... Water Temple... No time..." and she loses consciousness.

I reach for a potion before cursing. I broke my bottles this morning when I threw my bag against the wall. I could bind her wounds and use healing magic, but I'm not sure of the severity of her injuries. There's always the chance that Talon and Ingo can patch her up while I go after Serenity, but again, she could die if I leave her here. But if I stay to help Malon, Dark Link will definitely finish with Serenity and we'll lose.

Then it hits me.

Dark Link wants me to choose.

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><p><strong>AN: Boom. Phone-typed chapter. Italicization/emboldened/word counted on computer. Tell me how you want the story to go. I'll make a poll or something, but I doubt my traffic is high enough for it to work.**

**I'm changing my name soon to Monado Boy.**

**Final time I get to use this sig,**

**~F4R**

**Edit: I lied, there was a formatting issue. I was so proud of that reference, but I had to remove it. :'(**

**_Final_ final sign-off as F4R,  
><strong>

**~F4R**


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